Titans Sweep Red Hawks In Convincing Fashion
Sara Brunlieb pitched a two-hitter in the opener, Clare Robbe took a perfect game into the final inning in the nightcap and the UW-Oshkosh softball team won a pair of five-inning shutouts over Ripon College on Saturday (April 25) at UW-Oshkosh Softball Park.
The Titans, playing in their final regular-season home games of the season, won by scores of 13-0 in the first game and 9-0 in the second contest.
UW-Oshkosh (27-9) hit four home runs in the doubleheader, including three in the first game, on the way to their 20th win the last 23 contests.
Brunlieb (18-3) recorded five strikeouts and walked one to earn her third shutout of the season while Robbe (9-6) gave up just a leadoff single in the fifth inning and had three strikeouts on the way to her fifth shutout of the year.
Hayden Krueger hit a homer in each game and went a combined 3-for-3 with one walk, one hit-by-pitch, one sacrifice fly, three runs and four runs batted in.
In the opener, UW-Oshkosh took a 3-0 in the first inning before adding a single run in the third frame and exploding for nine runs in the fourth.
Erika Berry's sacrifice fly opened the scoring, and Katie Koepsel hit a two-run home run before Ripon College starting pitcher Ashley Gnacinski recorded an out in the first inning. It was Koepsel's WIAC-leading 11th home run off the season and 33rd of her career.
Brianna Witter extended the Titan lead to 4-0 with a two-out, run-scoring single in the third inning.
Krueger bookended UW-Oshkosh's nine-run barrage with a sacrifice fly and a two-run homer. The Titans received consecutive two-out RBI singles by Elizabeth Fonk, Caitlin Hoerning and Brianna Witter before Haley Bayreuther cleared the bases with a three-run home run. Berry followed with a walk, and Krueger sent a homer over the center field wall to cap the scoring.
Bayreuther had a triple to go along with her seventh home run of the season. Krueger was 2-for-2 with two runs and three runs batted in. Witter added two more of the Titans' 13 hits.
Gnacinski (5-11) took the loss for Ripon College, allowing all 13 runs on 12 hits and five walks in four innings pitched.
In the second contest, UW-Oshkosh scored all nine of its runs and registered its only four hits game in the first inning.
Krueger launched a two-run homer – her second of the day and ninth of the season – to open the scoring.
Robbe, making her second plate appearance of the year, increased the UW-Oshkosh lead to 3-0 with a single for her first hit and second RBI.
After two were out, the Titans scored on a wild pitch, a hit-by-pitch, two bases-loaded walks and RBI singles by Koepsel and Emily Mallek.
Robbe did not allow a ball to reach the outfield until recording a fly-ball out to end the fourth inning, but Gnacinski spoiled Robbe's perfect game with an infield single to lead off the fifth frame.
Ripon College (5-26) starting pitcher Ashley Parkkonen fell to 0-7 on the year after allowing all nine runs (two earned) on two hits and six walks.
Red Hawks reliever Jessica Kobelt finished the game with 3.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
UW-Oshkosh can clinch a share of the WIAC title with two wins at UW-La Crosse on Sunday (April 26). Both UW-Whitewater and UW-Eau Claire concluded their league schedules with 13-3 records.